Launching the Kabarole District master plan

The Kabarole master plan articulates the long-term (2018-2030) WASH priorities of the District to ensure safe water and sanitation for everyone.

KABAROLE, 28TH FEBRUARY 2019 – Kabarole District Local Government has today launched a road map towards the attainment of universal access to safe Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services by 2030. The road map is spelt out in a comprehensive master plan, highlighting the status of District WASH services and making projections for the years leading up to 2030.

Currently, only 51.7% of the population in Kabarole District has access to standard WASH services. Projections in the master plan show that the coverage will increase to 75% by 2021 and to 100% by 2030. To meet those targets, Kabarole District requires an investment of USD 24,148,569 for water and USD 48,187,105 for sanitation – over the years leading up to 2030.

If successfully implemented, the Kabarole District WASH master plan promises to address a wide range of challenges relating to water sanitation and hygiene. In water supply, the key challenges include: unreliable facilities which break down frequently because of poor operation and maintenance; a high level of contamination of drinking water sources, especially in rural areas; and unwillingness to pay for water services.

In sanitation services, over 60% of the latrines are poorly constructed and do not meet the standards for basic sanitation services. Most of them are not emptiable, which hinders safe disposal of faecal matter. Additionally, open defecation is still rampant especially in rural areas. Moreover, many people have not adopted good hygiene practices like washing hands with soap at critical times. In a baseline survey for the master plan, only 10% of households in the district had handwashing facilities. This exposes the population to the risk of disease.

Added to the water and sanitation challenges are the issues of water resources management. Increasing human population coupled with weak governance and failure to enforce policies and regulations, has led to unsustainable use of water resources characterised by deforestation, poor agronomic practices, degradation of river banks and wetlands as well as pollution from commercial and domestic activities. Because of such activities, Kabarole District has experienced deteriorating quality and quantity of water.

Now with a comprehensive roadmap to 2030, Kabarole District has identified the strategies to address all those challenges.

Speaking at the launch, State Minister for Local Government Jennifer Namuyangu emphasised the need for all actors to play their roles to ensure that all citizens access water sanitation and hygiene services as required by Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6). She urged the District Executive Committee as the top political organ, and the Chief Administrative Officer as head of the technical services, to work together with civil society, private sector and community members to achieve the targets expressed in the master plan.

Minister Namuyangu also called upon development partners to align all their interventions to the framework provided by the master plan. “I therefore urge all current and potential development partners to make this comprehensive master plan their point of reference whenever they are giving support for water, sanitation and hygiene. This will ensure harmonisation and alignment to the district development priorities. It will also reduce duplication of efforts and resources,” she said.

The Kabarole District Chairman, Richard Rwabuhinga said that the provision of water and sanitation services would accelerate development in Kabarole as it would ensure a healthy and productive population. He emphasised the need to protect and preserve environmental and water resources to maintain quality and quantity of water. He decried the rampant deforestation and degradation of water bodies like River Mpanga.

The Kabarole District WASH master plan is a result of the collective input of multi-sectoral actors in the district representing district political and technical leaders, religious leaders, CSOs, private sector actors, media practitioners and Ministry of Water and Environment. This is affirmation that attainment of universal WASH for all, calls for a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach.